1987 Pine Island July 24th-25th-26th

1987 Pine Island July 24 10 AM

    It is a foggy morning! It has rained intermittently all night, a rain that crashed through the trees and banged and rattled on the roof.

    It is a hot and damp and oppressive day. I have just challenged them to a game of Scrabble to stop the arguments. The boredom has been broken by the mother duck and ducklings in the bay. There is been a lineup for the bathroom, we have earwigs, we have had them all along but they are increasing. On to Scrabble!

    Michael has decided that the bird at Echo Bay last night was a crane not the great blue heron. We verified it in the bird book.

1:20 PM:

    The children are on the inverted dinghies catching snails. Who gets the biggest? Who gets the smallest?  it is a sticky miserable day but better here than at home. They have gone climbing over the rock islands and looking for the otter. They have had turns riding in the boat!  They have argued and we have had a great game of Scrabble.

     Michael and I have been checking the bird book, Joanna, Rachel and I have slight stomach ailments. I have taken pictures of their snailing expedition, and we are waiting for Michael Punch to come for Kyle, his last sailing lesson is today.

    We are going to move into town on Tuesday. Suzanne is off Monday and will come down to clean. Tuesday, John will be down with the truck to take the boat in. Any other year I have dreaded the return to town, this year I am not so sorry to go. Mary Anne, Lauren and Megan are coming down tomorrow. Michael, Donna and Wilf, Mary Jane and John will be here too!

1987 Pine Island July 25 Saturday

    It was a good day today. Brendon and Christina slept in, and Michael and I fed the chipmunks and watched for birds. Baby ducks swim around the reeds, saw us, and disappeared. The usual trips to the island and this morning they spent a lot of time on the rafts. Kyle rigged up the paddles to be used like kayak paddles.

     In the early afternoon Donna came down and brought pizza which they devoured even though we had just finished one of our gourmet camp lunches wieners and buns. At supper time Mary Jane came with salads and Nicole and Rhys Skinner were dropped off for the morning with Kirk, and they toured the Islands in the boat.

    The teens have gone to Richards Landing for a rock concert. Donna has taken Rachel and Kyle home for the night and Mary Jane has gone. Catherine McIntyre has a date for the rock concert so Tarryn is going to stay with Steven Michael Joanna and me.

    It was a beautiful sunny warm day with a cool breeze. Steven is now trying to teach Tarryn how to tie his shoelaces.  Evidently it is a must before he enters pre-kindergarten.

I came into “my room” and hear Joanna” where’s grandma” Apparently there has been a great snailing, clamming and frog egg gathering!

    Catherine McIntyre has just left in a speed boat with Steven Adams, Bill and Sabina Adams son. Bill was once smitten with Mary and in fact there was a ‘Donny-brook” at a party I forget the details but Jim required some repairs after. Bill died many years ago!

1987 Pine Island July 26 Sunday.

    A gorgeous summer day, blue skies, bright sunshine and a fresh wonderful breeze. We went to mass at Bruce Mines in the little white wooden Anglican Catholic Church. The pews were so narrowly constructed and rounded that if you leaned back at all you slid. The church was obviously Anglican built because the kneelers were an afterthought and flimsy and uncomfortable and not padded either.  They were bare wood! Catherine took Nicole, Christina, and Steven, and I took Joanna, Michael, and Tarryn. We couldn't fit Rhys and Brendon in so they stayed at the cottage.

    When we return to the cottage, the four teens took off to Erwin’s for the afternoon. Mary Jane and John came down with food. Mary Anne, Lauren, and Megan came also, and we had a great day.

    Steven Adams arrived in an aluminum boat to take Catherine and Tarryn fishing, and the afternoon went with people talking and laughing, and my boat going back and forth to the Rocky Island. John and Michael went out with Michael running the motor, and then we barbecued steak and wieners, bean salad, macaroni salad, potato salad, tossed salad and cherry pie for dessert.

     Wilf came down for supper, and Donna, Michael, Kyle and Rachel had come down with Mary Jane. A fine last gathering!

   Tomorrow is the last day. We have the cottage until Saturday at noon but with Suzanne on days, Mary Jane and John working, and Michael and Donna working it seemed wiser to go early. Wilf and I have to be in a Little Current on Friday and I'm happy to have a couple of days at home before we go. Steven Joanna Kyle and Rachel are watching TV everyone else has gone and it is peaceful. The river is lovely in the gathering dust!